Computer glossary
What is Cold Boot?
Cold Boot — A cold reboot (also known as a hard reboot) is when power to a computer is cycled (turned on and off) or a special reset signal to the processor is triggered (from a front panel switch of some sort). This restarts the computer without first performing the usual shut-down procedure. (With many operating systems, especially those with disc caches, after a hard reboot the system may well be in an…
A cold reboot (also known as a hard reboot) is when power to a computer is cycled (turned on and off) or a special reset signal to the processor is triggered (from a front panel switch of some sort). This restarts the computer without first performing the usual shut-down procedure. (With many operating systems, especially those with disc caches, after a hard reboot the system may well be in an "unclean" state, and require that checks and repairs to on-disc file system structures be performed before normal operation can begin.) It may be caused by power failure, be done by accident, or be done deliberately as a last resort because nothing else to retrieve the system from a "hung" state works.